Kewra, keora or kewda ( hi, केवड़ा, bn, কেওড়া, , ur, کیوڑہ, pa, ਕੇਵੜਾ) is an

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

distilled from the male flower of the fragrant screwpine. The plant is native to

Tropical Asia Tropical Asia refers to the entirety of the areas in Asia with a tropical climate. These areas are of geographic and economic importance due to their natural resources and biodiversity, which include many species of agricultural value. There are ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, and the oil is used as a flavoring agent throughout much of these regions. The flower is a vital ingredient in Kewra and is used in special-occasion dishes in South Asia, particularly those associated with

Muslim communities Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Kewra flowers have a sweet, perfumed odour with a pleasant quality similar to rose flowers, but kewra is more fruity. The aqueous distillate (kewra water, pandanus flower water) is quite diluted.. Kewra flowers & leaves are also essential in worship of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

goddess

Manasa Manasa () is a Hindu goddess of snakes. She is worshipped mainly in Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand, Lower Assam and other parts of northeastern India and in Uttarakhand, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite, and also for fertility and p ...

, who is worshipped by certain communities. Approximately 95% of kewra flowers exported from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

are collected from areas surrounding

Berhampur city Brahmapur (; also known as Berhampur) is a city on the eastern coastline of Ganjam district of the Indian state of Odisha. Bramhapur is most famous for its street food, silk sarees or pato sarees, temples and many historical places. Bramhapur al ...

in Ganjam district. The coastal areas of Chhatrapur, Rangeilunda,

Patrapur Patrapur is one of the block headquarters of Ganjam district situated south of Odisha bordering to Andhra Pradesh. It is located southwest of Berhampur and southeast of Chikiti. It is one of the biggest villages of Ganjam district, having more ...

, and

Chikiti Chikiti is a town and a notified area committee, notified area council located in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Geography Chikiti is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demographics India census, Chikiti had a popul ...

are famous for their aromatic pandanus plantations. Arguably, flowers from coastal locales have an exquisite floral note that rival inland varieties with the most famous varieties being those endemic and cultivated in

Gopalpur-on-Sea Gopalpur is a coastal town and a Notified Area Council on the Bay of Bengal coast in Ganjam district in the southern part of Odisha, India. Today it is a commercial port, a famous sea beach and a tourist destination. Gopalpur is around 15 ...

. Cultivation of kewra flower is a major source of income in Ganjam district and there are nearly 200 registered kewra distillation factories. Kewra is also used in traditional Indian perfumery, both as functional fragrance and in

ittar Ittar, also known as attar, is an essential oil derived from botanical or other natural sources. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydro or steam distillation. The Persian physician Ibn Sina was first to derive the attar of flowers ...

Chemical composition: abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by water distillation of the staminate inflorescences of Kewda (''

Pandanus odorifer ''Pandanus odorifer'' is an aromatic monocot species of plant in the family Pandanaceae, native to Polynesia, Australia, South Asia (Andaman Islands), and the Philippines, and is also found wild in southern India and Burma. It is commonly known a ...

''. var. ''fasicularis''). The major components of kewda oil were found to be 2-phenethyl

methyl ether Methyl ether may refer to: * Any chemical compound of the ether class that includes a methyl group In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemica ...

(65.6–75.4%),

Terpinen-4-ol Terpinen-4-ol is an isomer of terpineol with the chemical formula C10H18O. A primary constituent of tea tree oil, it is obtained as an extract from the leaves, branches, and bark of ''Melaleuca alternifolia'' Cheel. Despite considerable basic and ...

(11.7–19.5%),

p-Cymene ''p''-Cymene is a naturally occurring aromatic organic compound. It is classified as an alkylbenzene related to a monoterpene. Its structure consists of a benzene ring ''para''-substituted with a methyl group and an isopropyl group. ''p''-Cym ...

(1.0–3.1%) and Alpha Terpineol (1.2–2.9%)

References

{{Reflist Bangladeshi cuisine Indian cuisine Pakistani cuisine Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Pandanus

Chemical composition: abstract

See also

References